One Hundred Year Anniversary & South Dakota’s role in the Women's Suffrage Movement

Undated photo of women in South Dakota campaigning for the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Image Courtesy of the South Dakota Historical Society

This year marks 100 years of the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the passing of the 19th amendment, granting women the right to vote. By the time the amendment was passed nationally, South Dakota had already granted women the right to vote two years earlier, becoming the 15th state to do so.

Susan B. Anthony visited the state in the fall of 1889, stating, “All the best speakers, all the best workers in the woman’s suffrage ranks in the United States are to be turned into the field of South Dakota. We have every assurance that we are going to carry the day.” This wasn’t the case, and South Dakota would not grant women the right to vote for another 29 years. This may very well not have been achieved without the diligent work of one of our 2020 Hall of Fame Inductees: Mary (Mamie) Shields Pyle. Her story of excellence has changed the lives of women in South Dakota, and we feel honored to share it with you.

Mamie Shields Pyle

Mamie was born in 1866. She moved to Dakota Territory as a young girl and worked as a schoolteacher in Brookings and Hand counties. In 1889, she moved to Huron with her husband, John Pyle. John died in 1902, leaving Mrs. Pyle at age 36 with four children (John, May, Nellie, and Gladys) and little money.

After the woman suffrage amendment was defeated in South Dakota in 1910, Mamie was elected president of the South Dakota Universal Franchise League. As president of the Franchise League, she successfully lobbied the South Dakota legislature to pass a women’s suffrage amendment three times and place it on the state-wide ballot for ratification. She made several changes to the League’s strategy—most importantly de-linking the suffrage movement from prohibition.

Along with these efforts, Mamie traveled the state giving speeches, writing about suffrage for newspapers, raising money, and recruiting volunteers in each county and township in South Dakota. On November 6, 1918, the Citizenship Amendment passed with 64% of the vote cast, and the disenfranchisement of half of the citizens of South Dakota ended. With the help of many others, she was able to successfully complete a 50-year effort so all women across the state of South Dakota could vote in all South Dakota elections, as well as run for and hold public office.

Women today are still able to benefit from the efforts of Mamie Pyle and the early suffragists. She is one of the many reasons to be proud to be a South Dakotan. Click here to learn more about Mamie’s Achievements and those of our other 2020 inductees.